POT HEADS PUBLIC TALK

Langley City residents are invited to a public meeting to discuss
legal marijuana.

People with questions about medical marijuana can seek answers at a
community meeting on Friday evening, July 9 (tonight).

Hempyz, a gift and novelty store on Fraser Highway, is sponsoring the
meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Douglas Recreation Centre.

Since 1999, Health Canada has administered the Marijuana Medical
Access Regulations that allow people to use pot for certain medical
conditions.

Hempyz owner and meeting organizer Randy Caine is licensed to dispense
medical marijuana to people who have Health Canada approval - a
responsibility that involves going through annual legal screening.

It was because so many people were coming into his shop, desperate for
information about the medical marijuana program, that he has held
similar meetings in the past - and it's also why he's become a
licensed dispenser.

He provides medicinal pot mostly to older people, although he deals
with some younger recipients who have ailments such as MS or cerebral
palsy.

"Mostly it has a lot to do with pain management or nausea," he
said.

He noted that one of the speakers on Friday evening, Simmi Dhillon, is
a 37-year-old mother of two who, after sustaining a spinal injury that
left her with radiating headaches, tried many prescription medicines.

Dhillon, with a history in criminal justice and married to a police
officer, was finally able to find some relief with medical marijuana.

Caine said that's what the information session is for - to provide
people with answers they can use to make informed decisions.

"You ought to be the one who makes that determination," he
said.

Also on Friday evening's speakers' list are Bob Kay, founding member
of BeKind, the Okanagan Growers and Compassion Club, and Rob Calloway,
who has a masters degree in psychology and health.

The venue can accommodate about 200 people.

Caine said he hosted an information session there about 18 months ago
which attracted about 60.

This time, when he was distributing flyers to announcement the
meeting, the community seemed much more open, he noted. He understands
people in the community have widely differing opinions on the issue.

"I respect that," Caine said.